LIVERPOOL Museum yesterday threw open its doors for a first glimpse of its long-awaited £35m extension.

LIVERPOOL Museum yesterday threw open its doors for a first glimpse of its long-awaited &#xA3;35m extension.

Experts are unpacking boxes of exhibits untouched since the Blitz as they prepare for its vast expansion.

A grand new atrium, which will serve as the heart of the expanded building, is almost complete and tours will begin next week to show the public what progress has been made in the past four years.

The museum has around 8,000-10,000 historical artefacts, many of which have never been on display to the general public, while others have not been seen for half a century.

Now they are being unpacked, dusted down and prepared for display as the museum gets ready for opening the extension, which will make it even larger than its pre-war size.

The finished extension, complete with collection, is now expected to open to the general public in summer 2005.

The new keeper of Liverpool Museum, John Millard, said the musuem was finally getting the building its collection deserved.

The 53-year-old Scot said: "This is the major regional collection in the country, but it does not have the major building to display it in.

"I do believe that we have the best collection of its kind outside London, but at the moment it's not looking its best. When this is done it should be."

The museum was struck by a German bomb during World War II, destroying much of the original building. Although the exhibits had been stored away as the Blitz began, after the war there was no room to display them and they have remained in boxes ever since.

The exhibits are mainly part of the muse-um's ethnology collection and include rare Buddhist artefacts and Aztec relics.

Mr Millard said: "There are potteries and textiles never before seen. Some of them have been stored here, others in our other museums in Liverpool.

"At the moment, we are very carefully unpacking them, photographing them and sending them to the Conservation Centre, where they are cleaned, restored and put in cases.

"There are very good records, which have all survived, so we are unlikely to discover something we didn't know we had, but we have got things from all around the world."

The huge new atrium at the centre of the museum will act as a meeting place and an area for shops and cafes. It will also boast a replica of the original Sputnik space rocket hanging from the ceiling and a totem pole which used to be on display in the museum. The atrium will act as a street-level entrance, avoiding the need to climb the 138 steps at the front.

Mr Millard said: "The totem pole has been away from here for years. It's like an old friend coming back."

The &#xA3;35m extension, which sees the museum taking over the premises of a former technical college on Byrom Street, was made possible following a grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Further funding came from Europe and Littlewoods prior to its takeover.

Free tours of the new spaces begin on Wednesday and will run at 2pm each Wednesday and Saturday until further notice.

Mr Millard said the intention is to show the public that work is progressing.

He said: "We are already seeing the frustration from regular visitors, wanting to know when it will be finished, and saying 'you said it would be open in a year a year ago'.

"We want to bring people through and show them what's going on."

A CITY TREASURE TROVE SINCE 1860

* LIVERPOOL Museum opened in 1860 and is the largest of the National Museums Liverpool venues.

* Many of the collections - particularly the archaeology and ethnology section - stem from Liverpool goldsmith Joseph Mayer, who in 1865 delivered his collection of nearly 15,000 items to the museum.

* The museum suffered severe damage in May 1941 when it was hit during the Blitz. Although the bomb actually hit the neighbouring library, that was left largely intact and the museum took most of the force.

* Although most of the facade was left in one piece, the majority of the interior was destroyed and the current interior stems from after the war. Most of the collections had already been packed up at the start of the Blitz.

* It remained closed after the war until 1966 as its reconstruction was not viewed as a priority.

* There are exactly 138 steps leading to its grand entrance. The Queen was spared the walk when she visited the museum.

* The current keeper, John Millard, took up his position at the museum three days before Liverpool was named European Capital of Culture. He was previously keeper of the Discovery Museum in Newcastle.

* Despite the rebuilding work, Liverpool Museum has still been averaging around 4,000 visitors per week during the school holidays.